


Mining Mishap

by daisygirl101



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alex is a cinnamon roll we don't deserve, Caretaking, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, POV Second Person, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 06:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20188051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisygirl101/pseuds/daisygirl101
Summary: A tumble into a dark hole in the mines ends up guiding you to the light you needed in your life.





	Mining Mishap

**Author's Note:**

> I have fallen in love with this cinnamon roll.
> 
> While I (im)patiently wait for theNoke's next chapter of Aesthetic Journey Through the Valley, I think I'm going to be doing a bit of writing for this dork.

Your lower back ached as you swung your pickaxe harder. You gave out a heavy sigh and looked across the dark cavern. You’d spent all day in the mines, desperately digging for iron. While the conditions were gruesome, you much preferred them to the prices Clint was charging for iron. Talk about highway robbery.

Time felt like an illusion in Stardew Valley. Some days felt like milliseconds, while others dragged on forever. Time seemed to flow differently here. It was different than the city, much different.

Time seemed to feel the strangest in the mines. It moved so quickly and you were ready to pass out before you knew it. You glanced down at your wrist to check the time, but once again remembered you’d left your watch in the pocket of your other jeans. You groaned. With how dark the mines were, there was no way to tell time. You tucked your pickaxe away and sighed. You figured it was better to be safe that sorry, so you left the mines.

You took the elevator up from the 45th floor only to have it stop on the 5th. You groaned in exasperation. The elevator had been acting up a lot lately. Chances were this was as far as it would take you today. You’d have to climbed the ladder the rest of the way. You gathered your stuff and started towards the wooden frame.

The past few months spent on the farm had done you good. You were in much better shape than you’d ever been. Climbing five flights of ladders didn’t seem so hard now. As you approached the last ladder, you realized how cool the air had become. It was definitely late at night.

As your mind wandered, your exhaustion began to seep in. You were almost to the top when you suddenly lost your footing and shrieked. Your hands grabbed tight to the ladder as your feet dangled. The rung you were on had broken and your stuff clattered to the floor of level one. Your tired body couldn’t get you to the next rung up, and you were sure if you let one hand go, the other wouldn’t have the energy to save you. In your panic, you took too long to consider your options, and both your hands slipped. The last thing you remembered was hearing shouting before a huge shot of pain and darkness overcame you.

* * *

When you woke up, everything hurt. _Everything_. You cried out as you tried to move. As you shifted, you realized you weren’t in the mines anymore. It was lighter now and the ground was softer. You blinked and realized the ground wasn’t ground at all. It was in fact your bed, and you were lying in your room. Had it been a dream? The sharp pain your spine said otherwise.

You looked at your hands. They were caked in mud and some blood. You glanced over the rest of yourself as you struggled to sit up. Your legs were bruised and cut. Your shirt was ripped in some spots. Freckles of dirt and dust covered you. Even though you couldn’t see your face, you knew you were filthy. You gazed at the clock beside you. It was past three in the morning. “You’re awake.” Your head snapped to your right. There was a figure in your bedroom doorway. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. You’ve already done that to yourself.” The figure walked over and clicked the small lamp on.

“Alex?” You looked him over. He was dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans. His shoes, socks, and jacket were missing, something you found strange in the cool weather of autumn.

“Hey,” Alex chuckled as he got closer to your bedside. He found a comfortable spot at the foot of the bed. “All jokes aside, I’m glad you’re okay. You took a huge fall.”

“I fell?” The memory was rather fuzzy.

“Yeah. It looked like one of the ladder’s rungs snapped under your feet. If Clint and Marlon would just do their jobs and watch things more carefully, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” Alex said. There was definitely a defensive edge to his voice. Was Alex trying to protect you?

Your relationship with the high school gridball star was strong, to say the least. Just last week he’d apologized to you for being so harsh to you during your first few months. He definitely pulled at your heartstrings often. It suddenly hit you that your romantic interest was sitting in your bedroom at three a.m. “How did I get home?”

“I carried you,” Alex said as if you’d grown a second head. He thought that would’ve been obvious. "These muscles aren’t just for decoration," he joked.

“You found me?”

“Yeah. I was out for a late jog and I heard yelling. How could I not help a damsel in distress?” he asked with his trademark smirk. You fought the urge to roll your eyes.

“And you carried me home?”

“Yikes, farm girl. Did you hit your head harder than I thought?” You blushed in embarrassment.

“Sorry, no. I’m just overwhelmed.” Alex nodded and hummed.

“Well...how do you feel?”

“Why are you here?” you asked. “I mean, I know you said you carried me home but that was at least an hour ago, I’m assuming. I’m grateful, but...?”

“(Y/N), get real. I wasn’t just going to dump you in your bed and leave you. I’m not a complete asshole,” Alex laughed.

“Aren’t you tired?” you asked with concern. You considered Alex to be a good friend, but you didn’t expect him to do something so kind for you. Perhaps his core was sweeter than he was letting on.

"That’s not important. Are you okay? You didn’t seem to have any broken bones just from what I could tell," Alex said as he eyed you over. His glance felt like more than just a confirmation that you were okay.

"When did you become a doctor?" you said, a little harsher than you meant to.

"I'm an athlete. I've injured myself in a lot of ways, (Y/N). Sometimes with sports, sometimes with other… activities," Alex purred lowly. You swallowed the lump in your throat and tried to save face. "And stop dodging my question. Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm pretty bruised. I'll be out for a couple days, which isn’t good for the farm," you sighed. "I'm just really sore. I don’t think I broke anything."

"Good. You should get cleaned up. I don’t think you want to sleep like that," he said as he gestured to your dirty form. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"I might just need a hand getting up," you said with a wince. Alex stood beside your bed now and offered his hands to you. You took his hands and carefully got to your feet. You stumbled forward and grabbed onto his arms. _Holy hell, he wasn’t kidding. _His arms were _very_ well built.

"Found something you like?" he teased as he felt you feel his muscles. You glared at him. "Easy there. Take your time," Alex cooed quietly. You righted yourself and placed your hands on his shoulders. His shirt was damp.

"Why are you wet?"

"It's raining outside. With you in my arms, I couldn’t exactly do much," he said, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all.

"Alex! You carried me home in the rain? In the middle of the night?" you exclaimed. His cheeks took on a faint blush. For the first time, you saw his embarrassed, lazy smirk.

"Yeah, I did…" he trailed off.

"That’s really sweet of you," you admitted. His cheeks darkened.

"Well I care about you," he shyly admitted. "And I would hate to see something bad happen to you." Alex's hands landed gently on your waist. You reflexively winced in pain. He let go instantly. "Sorry! You should take that shower. It'll probably make you feel a lot better," he said as he took a step back. You opened your mouth to protest, but changed your mind.

"Okay. You don’t have to stay. I'll be okay on my own," you said. Alex shook his head.

"There's no way I'm leaving you to fend for yourself. Besides, you wouldn’t put me out in the rain, would you?" he begged. Your eyes widened.

"No! Absolutely not. You're welcome to stay," you said as you walked slowly to your bathroom. "There's plenty of food in the fridge. Help yourself!" Alex nodded with a smile and closed your bedroom door behind him. You gave a heavy sigh. _You'd better watch yourself around him. He's trouble._

* * *

You'd forgotten how good it felt to be clean. You tugged on a tank top and some shorts and looked at yourself in the mirror. There was a gash on the right side of your face, in addition to several minor cuts and bruises across your arms, torso, and legs. There was no way you'd be swinging your axe for several days.

You reached for the brush on your bathroom counter. As tried to lift it to your head, your body yelped in pain. You made a small whimper of pain and lowered your arm. Something on the right side of your torso hurt. You lifted the hem of your shirt to see a large bruise and a gash down your side. Every time you lifted your arm, the gash broke open a bit. Very small drops of blood leaked out.

A knocking on your bathroom door startled you. "Are you okay? I heard you yell," Alex said from the other side of the door. _He's still awake?_

"Yeah, I think I'm okay."

"Can I come in?" Your face flushed. You did your best to fix your drenched hair, but after pulling you from the mines, you were almost certain he'd already seen you at your worst.

"Yeah," you called back. The door opened slowly and Alex stepped in. He seemed to freeze as he looked you over before recovering his cool.

"What happened?" he asked. You shook your head.

"Nothing. I just twisted wrong," you lied through your teeth.

"Do you need anything?" he asked gently.

"No thanks, Dad," you joked back. Alex chuckled bashfully and was about to step out of your bathroom, but stopped when his eyes caught notice of something. You met his gaze and noticed the light red stains on your shirt. His hands started to reach for the hem of your tank top, but he stopped short as his eyes met yours.

"You're bleeding." His voice sounded hurt.

"It's just a scratch," you tried to reassure him.

"Scratches don’t bleed that much. Let me see it," he coaxed softly. You bit your lip and slowly lifted the side of your shirt. Alex's eyes widened. "Shit, (Y/N). That's deep. We need to bandage that. Where's your first aid kit?"

"Cabinet behind you," you told him. He pulled the box out and set it on the counter. Alex grabbed a long bandage and started to unroll it.

"You're lucky you just showered, otherwise we'd have to disinfect that thing. And I can imagine that would hurt like a bitch," Alex said as he focused on your wound.

"Is your mouth always this foul?" you asked, trying to distract yourself.

"Swear words aren’t the only dirty words to leave my lips," he teased. That time you felt your cheeks burn and you looked away. "Can you just hold your shirt up farther so I can bandage you up?"

"I bet you'd love that," you snapped. You knew he took it as a joke.

"Oh, I don’t deny that," he chuckled back. "But I'm more worried about your wound than any curves you'd like to flash at me," Alex said as he met your eyes. He gave you a wink before starting to wrap the bandage around your entire middle. For a moment, you thought your legs were going to collapse underneath you. With his cocky attitude, you weren’t surprised he was a smoother talker, but never had he been so flirtatious with you. He seemed to flop back and forth between this caring, loving friend and this charming smooth talker. The combination of sweet and spicy was certainly tantalizing to you. "Uh, (Y/N)? I'm done." You snapped back to reality.

"Thank you," you replied and tugged your shirt back down.

"You shouldn’t lift your arm up too high. It might rip the wound back open," he said as he looked down at you. His eyes landed on your hair and he grinned. "So is this the show I'm missing when you brush your hair? I like bedhead you," he teased as you realized your hair was a wet, mop-like mess. You groaned and reached for the brush. Alex yanked it out of your hand. "Ah ah, I said not to raise your arm too much. You can't have this."

"Alex," you whined, "I can't go to bed looking like this."

"I know. Turn around. I got it," he said. You gave him a confused look before he turned you to face the mirror. Slowly and delicately, Alex brushed through the tangles of your hair. There was a peaceful silence between you for a moment. You could tell Alex's mind was somewhere else. "I used to do this for my mom," he quietly confessed. Your eyes met his. "She used to get hit so hard some nights that she couldn’t find the strength to take care of herself."

"Alex…"

"I wish I could’ve done more."

"Alex, you were just a kid. You did your best." Alex set the brush down on the counter. You turned and faced him.

"It's not an excuse. Maybe I could've changed things for the better-"

"Stop. What happened was not your fault. You had a shitty excuse for a father and you gave it your all, Alex. You were your mother's pride and joy. She loved you endlessly," you said as you placed your hands on his arms.

"You don’t know that. You didn’t even know her."

"But I know you. I know you’ve got a kind heart, even if you don’t want to admit it. I know you're a caring, loving person. I know that tough act is an exterior. And that loving side didn’t come from your grandparents and it sure as hell didn’t come from your father. It came from her. I didn’t know her but I can see her in you. She has a lot to be proud of," you told him. Alex looked speechless.

"You mean that?"

"Every word." Alex crushed you in a hug before you could protest. You squealed as he lifted you off your feet. You suddenly feared for your life and wrapped your arms and legs around him. "Alex!" He placed you down on your feet gently.

"It's just nice to be supported again. I have my grandparents, but they can only do so much. I appreciate you," he said. This time he didn’t give you a smirk. It was a genuine smile, a smile you'd never seen before. You smiled back.

"I'll always support you. That's what friends do," you said. Alex's smile seemed to falter for a second.

"Friends. Right," he said. Alex stepped back from you and nodded to your bed. "You should get some sleep. You need your rest. I'll take care of your crops and chickens in the morning," he said with a smile. You could tell something you said ruined the mood.

"Alex, that’s too much! You’ve already helped a ton. I can just call Maru or Penny to come handle the farm," you exclaimed. Alex shook his head.

"My grandmother would have my head if she knew I left you alone on this big old farm. I won't take no for an answer," he said. "Now, get some sleep. I'll crash on your couch," Alex said as he gestured to the living room. Your room suddenly felt very big and very dark.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning then," you replied with a smile. Alex nodded.

"Let me know if you need anything." And with that, he slipped into the living room and shut the door. You lied down in your bed and tried to sleep. You lied there for what felt like days until you realized you probably weren’t going to sleep. The dark void around you gave you flashbacks to falling into the mines, which made your brain keep reminding your body that you were in pain. You groaned and rolled over. It was already five thirty a.m.; you had to be up soon.

After a while longer of tossing and turning, you decided to just stay up instead of sleeping. You grabbed a pair of sweats and headed out of your room. Alex was lying on the couch, peacefully asleep. His socks, shoes, and sweatshirt were by the fireplace, drying out. You looked outside to see it was no longer raining, but quite cold. You looked over at Alex's sweatshirt hanging by the fireplace and back to the sleeping Alex. Well, he probably wouldn’t mind, right?

Now equipped with boots, sweats, and Alex's sweatshirt, you grabbed your watering can and headed out into the early morning dawn. You watered each crop and managed to harvest some stalks of corn. Then you headed over to the chicken coop. The chickens were eagerly waiting to get out of their confined space, so you didn’t delay in opening the hatch for them. They scattered out and left you with an empty food trough and some eggs. You decided to make breakfast for you and Alex and gathered up the eggs. As you reached for one, a noise at the door startled you. You looked over to see Alex leaning on the doorframe of the coop, giving you a disappointed glare. "You are incredibly stubborn, you know that?"

"I may have heard that once or twice before," you replied.

"Not only did you disobey doctor's orders-"

"You're not a doctor."

"-but you stole my clothing. Wow, after a long night of taking care of you, this is the thanks I get," he said as he walked over shaking his head. He gave out a sigh as you gave a weak smile. "I'm not mad. Just disappointed," Alex said with another sigh. "Guess there's only one thing left to do." You gulped. You were perhaps a little scared of Alex and the strength he had.

In the flash of an eye, Alex picked you up by the waist and slung you over his shoulder. You shrieked as he folded you in half over his shoulder. "Alex! Put me down! This is embarrassing!"

"To who? The chickens?"

"To my dignity!" you cried. Alex carried you back into the farmhouse and tossed you on the couch.

"If you're not sitting on that couch when I come back, I swear…" he trailed off as he stormed outside. You laughed as you watched him go. Once the door closed, you hopped up and started making breakfast with the eggs you already had. You managed to find some potatoes and got to work. With the eggs scrambling, you had time to peel the potatoes. You'd just finished peeling your first potato when the door swung open. "Hey, do you normally-" Alex stopped when he saw you weren’t on the couch anymore. His head snapped to the left, where you were standing with a half-peeled potato in your hand. "What's it going to take for you to relax around here? Just let me take care of you, stubborn farm girl."

You set the potato down and walked over. "I'll be fine, Alex. Really. Thank you for taking such good care of me last night," you said. "I really appreciate how much you did." Alex flushed a tad.

"I take many forms of gratitude," Alex joked as he tapped his right cheek and leaned down a little bit. You rolled your eyes, reached up and kissed his cheek. It was a lingering kiss, definitely more than just a friendly peck. "And that one is my favorite," Alex said, trying to keep his cool. You could tell he was surprised you kissed him. "Well, I should probably get home. I gotta check on my grandparents soon and then I gotta head over to-"

"Alex," you stopped him. You reached up on your tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I think you should stay." Alex's reply was another kiss to your lips.

Alex did stay that day, and for many years to come on the farm that once belonged to only you. Now it was a treasure you could share with your loving husband- one that continued to care for you for years beyond the day he rescued you.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I genuinely enjoy writing for Alex because he's got so many angles to work with. I see a bright future for Alex/Reader in this author's library!


End file.
